Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Etceteras: Homemade Fruit Fly Trap

Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homeworkGetting rid of fruit flies can be a problem. They hide, buzz around, annoy you and then hide again. You can try swatting at them but they’re hard to swat. I’ve tried different variations of fruit fly recipes over the years but they never worked for me. The fruit flies would seem interested in the different concoctions that I’d make but never be tempted enough to take a swan dive into the cup of liquid.


Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homeworkThen I saw a fruit fly trap post over at Chase the Star. It seems I was missing a very important secret ingredient - Apple Cider Vinegar. I went digging through the cupboards… regular vinegar, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar… drat, no apple cider vinegar. I put it on my grocery list but thought I’d try an experiment in the meantime.
Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homework
If the fruit flies liked the apples and vinegar, I could make my own. I decided on the white wine vinegar. After all, I should at least let the fruit flies die happy in a little wine. I chopped up some apples to add to the vinegar. I wasn’t feeling confident so I incorporated ideas from other fruit fly trap recipes, sugar and a drop of dish soap (the soap makes the liquid slippery and harder for them to escape).
Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homeworkMost fruit fly traps use bottles with a paper funnel or a cup with cellophane and holes punched into it. The idea is you want the flies to go into the holes but not be able to escape easily. Here’s my a-ha moment. The white wine vinegar came in a shaker bottle. The tab at the top had little holes already in it. Plus, the bottle had a nice shape to it. This was no longer just a fruit fly mission, I could make the bottle cute.
Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homework Using a chalkboard printable I created a little label “Shoo Fly Shoo”.

Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homeworkTo make it waterproof I used clear packing tape over the label. Come and get it fruit flies!

Homemade Fruit Fly Trap via homework I won’t show you pictures of the poor dead flies but it really does work.

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7 comments :

  1. YES! Apple cider vinegar is the best for trapping those little buggers, but I never thought of making the trap as cute as this! LOVE IT! Come on over and link up at our Wonderful Wednesdays linky party! http://wonderfulathome.blogspot.com/2013/08/wonderful-wednesdays-linky-party-3-with.html

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  2. this looks like the first attractive way to kill those pesky buggers! love it

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  3. This looks much nicer then my plastic bowl with a lid on it and tiny holes cut out! : )

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  4. This is such a great idea... Those pesky little things drive me crazy, thanks for sharing such a cute solution to the problem... Love it...

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  5. I love apple cider vinegar for fruit flies... your version is much cuter than mine!

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  6. Carolyn, You made fruit fly killing look so pretty and stylish! Far better than anything I could come up with :) I'm happy my post inspired you to kill those pesky critters once and for all! Cheers!
    XO, Barbara at Chase the Star

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  7. Such a great idea! We have been having issues with these little buggers lately, so I need this!

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